Not really science but kind of related because it does involve quantum computers, the really interesting part to me was the kind of encryption algorithms that are hard for both conventional and quantum computers:
__________________ Uncertainty is an uncomfortable position.
But certainty is an absurd one.
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Jeremy Hansen was one of four active Canadian astronauts that included Jennifer Sidey-Gibbons, Joshua Kutryk and David Saint-Jacques vying for a seat on the Orion spacecraft set to orbit the moon.
Artemis I was the first test of NASA's new mega-rocket — the Space Launch System (SLS) and its new crew capsule, Orion. Uncrewed, it launched in November on a 25-day mission around the moon that was deemed a success.
Artemis II is the second step in NASA's mission to return astronauts to the surface of the moon.
The astronauts won't be landing, but rather they will orbit for 10 days in the Orion spacecraft, testing key components to prepare for Artemis III that will place humans back on the moon some time in 2025 for the first time since 1972.
Very cool. I’ve been following Jeremy on twitter for years. A great ambassador for Canada, our armed forces, and the space program. At 47 years old he’s a great example of dedication and determination.
Artemis I was a nice test of the spacecraft but I'm not that excited about Artemis II, we landed 6 times over 50 years ago and now we're just doing an orbit?
Moreover, it's a brand new spacecraft: they're going to test that the thing makes to the moon and back before sending a mission to actually land. Artemis 2 will be like Apollo 8 and Apollo 10: crewed missions to the moon and back that were for the purpose of testing that everything worked properly before sending Apollo 11 to actually land.
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Orion isn't a lander, it's just a crew module. NASA had a competition to design and build a lander and SpaceX won that for Artemis 3 and 4 winning out over Blue Origin and Dynetics designs (there was some drama when they were originally going to select 2 but only selected one and there was a lawsuit).
Building Block for Life Discovered in Enceladus Ocean
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Phosphorus, a vital element for life, has been discovered in icy grains emitted from Saturn’s moon, Enceladus, by NASA’s Cassini mission. This first-time discovery in an ocean beyond Earth hints at the potential for life-supporting conditions in Enceladus’ subsurface ocean and possibly other icy ocean worlds.
Using data collected by NASA’s Cassini mission, an international team of scientists has discovered phosphorus – an essential chemical element for life – locked inside salt-rich ice grains ejected into space from Enceladus.
During its mission at the gas giant from 2004 to 2017, Cassini flew through the plume and E ring numerous times. Scientists found that Enceladus’ ice grains contain a rich array of minerals and organic compounds – including the ingredients for amino acids – associated with life as we know it.
Phosphorus, the least abundant of the essential elements necessary for biological processes, hadn’t been detected until now. The element is a building block for DNA, which forms chromosomes and carries genetic information, and is present in the bones of mammals, cell membranes, and ocean-dwelling plankton. Phosphorus is also a fundamental part of energy-carrying molecules present in all life on Earth. Life wouldn’t be possible without it.
“We previously found that Enceladus’ ocean is rich in a variety of organic compounds,” said Frank Postberg, a planetary scientist at Freie Universität Berlin, Germany, who led the new study, published on June 14, in the journal Nature. “But now, this new result reveals the clear chemical signature of substantial amounts of phosphorus salts inside icy particles ejected into space by the small moon’s plume. It’s the first time this essential element has been discovered in an ocean beyond Earth.”
It's shaping up to be a huge week for space and physics news, with two major press conferences about the Universe announced for Thursday 29 June.
They may share a date, but they're both very separate announcements, and from what we can tell, very distinct discoveries that will be shared with the public.
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Gravitational wave discovery
As we covered earlier this week, the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav) is coordinating a global announcement on Thursday 29 June 2023 at 1pm EDT (1700 UTC).
The update will shed light on research conducted by the International Pulsar Timing Array (IPTA) – a worldwide consortium of gravitational wave detectors: North America's NANOGrav; the European Pulsar Timing Array; the Indian Pulsar Timing Array Project; and Australia's Parkes Pulsar Timing Array.
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Neutrino discovery
The second announcement on Thursday, which has erroneously been linked to the NANOGrav announcement on social media, is from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory built deep within the Antarctic ice. This particle detector is searching for neutrinos; subatomic particles that are incredibly challenging to detect due to their lack of charge and a mass that's virtually non-existent.
This particle detector is searching for neutrinos; subatomic particles that are incredibly challenging to detect due to their lack of charge and a mass that's virtually non-existent.
Still easier to find evidence of than Bigfoot or aliens though!
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